Tieing Up Loose Ends
by DJ Keith
Summary: A month after the events in Shelbyville, Lisa comes face to face with Francine Rhenquist once again, who has challenged her to a fight that she can't back out. Bart and Milhouse make a bet with Nelson on a test. Will Lisa finally fight back against Francine or will Francine dominate Lisa? Will Bart and Milhouse pass Friday's test or will they fail?
1. Rumble in the Hallway

(**Author's Note**: Well here I go again with another story. This story takes place right after the Final Chapter, well a month after the children returned home. Hope everyone enjoys this one.)

It's been one month since the children returned to Springfield after successfully defeating Shelbyville and restoring peace between both Shelbyville and Springfield for the first time ever.

Despite a month gone by, they still had visible scars from fighting off Shelbyville residents. Many were still wearing bandages and casts on their bodies. Lisa was busy getting a book out of her locker.

Just as she closed her locker, Francine stood there in front of her. Lisa froze in terror as she saw the bully in front of her. Even though Francine was nice to Lisa in Shelbyville, it was only temporary until they got back to Springfield.

"Hello little Lisa, it's one month later. I took your cousin's advice and didn't push you around in Shelbyville. I also reminded you that it wasn't going to last forever. You know what I want from you." threatened Francine.

Lisa didn't even have money since she was broke and so was her brother. Nearly the entire town was broke, since no one went to work for the last month.

"I don't have any money. Plus I pack my lunch and never eat the lunch served here. Why do you have to go after me every time? I never did anything to you." said Lisa as she tried to reason with the bully.

Francine didn't like Lisa's answer as she approached Lisa with her arms crossed. Lisa could see Francine was going to hurt her again and she prepared herself for the pain.

Some of the children wanted to help Lisa, but they knew if they did help her, they risked becoming a target for Francine and potentially other bullies too. None of them knew how to stand up for themselves.

Francine got close to Lisa, but didn't do anything to her. She stood there and looked up at the ceiling of the school, then looked down at Lisa, who was still shaking, afraid to look at Francine.

"Relax brain queen. You really want to know why? It's simple, I want you to fight me. I want you to get beat up by me in a real fight, in front of every kid in this school. If you lose, then you're my punching bag until you do beat me.

Not that it's going to do you much good. If you win, I'll stop bullying you and will forget about everything I did to you. Just name the time, day, and the place and I'll be there." said Francine.

Lisa was in shocked over what Francine said. Other kids in the hallway had gathered and heard what Francine said. Hearing that Francine would stop bullying Lisa, is a sign that Francine was very confident.

"I know you're a lot tougher then you look. You were able to punch out Nelson and your brother. You may have every kid and these zoo animals that run this school fooled, but you're not fooling me.

So prove it to everyone that you're not a dork with no guts and a future. That you're not going to end up like Ralph Wiggum." said Francine as she taunted Lisa.

Her comment made Lisa angry. She hated when anyone told her she had no future. For her to be compared to Ralph was a complete insult to her very being as a person. What Francine wanted Lisa to do was working.

"What's the matter? You're getting mad? What are you going to do, cry? Cry and show everyone here how much of a whiny, liberal bitch you really are? Nothing surprises me when it comes to this school.

Sara and her two whores ended up being whiny bitches in the end, so I see the trend here. You might as well go tell your mom and dad what I did to you. Your brother isn't going to be able to help you either." Francine said coldly.

Lisa was now seething as her blood began to boil. She wanted to hurt Francine for the insult about her family. She had enough of this negative treatment.

Lisa got in Francine's face and said to her, "Fine then, I accept your challenge. I pick Friday for the day of the fight. Outside of the playground. You better get ready Francine, because you're in for the fight for your life."

The children gasped when they heard Lisa accepting the challenge. Francine grinned as she knew she had Lisa to herself on Friday. She patted Lisa on the head, taunting her as she looked down at her. Francine decided not to hurt Lisa today.

"I'll see you on that day. Get ready, because you just walked into something you can't back out of. Enjoy your humanitarian views, because it won't be around for long." said Francine as she walked away.

Janey approached her best friend and became very concerned for Lisa's safety. She knew this was a really bad idea for Lisa to go into this.

"Lisa, what are you trying to prove? That's Francine Rhenquist, not Nelson Muntz. She could really hurt you. You have to back out of this fight before it's too late." said Janey.

"Janey, being honest here. If I back out of this fight, everyone will call me a coward and I'll get picked on even more. I'm getting tired of everyone thinking I'm just a weak overachiever. I have to do this to end all of the abuse.

I proved to everyone in Shelbyville, that I could fight, but I was never capable of fighting anyone other then my brother and Ralph that time I dressed up like a boy." said Lisa.

Lisa walked away leaving Janey and everyone else at a lost for words. Meanwhile in the hallway, Bart was with Milhouse as they expressed their dislike over the recent issue of the Radioactive Man comic.

Many kids greeted the two boys as they walked by them. Ever since returning to Springfield, many kids have grown to respect Bart, even more than they did before and Milhouse has also recieved the same treatment.

"Man to think I use to look up to Radioactive Man, now he's gone soft. Since when did Radioactive Man needed a sidekick? I don't even care that the sidekick is a girl, it just doesn't feel right." said a dissatisfied Bart.

"Tell me about it. I can't believe we ordered this for forty dollars a month ago. We could of done something else with that money." said Milhouse.

Bart and Milhouse stopped at their lockers, so Bart can get something out of his locker. Bart has his slingshot in his locker that he planned on using on Seymour later on today.

"Bart, do you know where Keith is? We haven't seen him or his brothers and sisters around here." asked Milhouse.

"They're helping Kenny hide that truck that we stole from Shelbyville. They don't want the police finding it, since they plan on keeping it. They also invited me to some hair salon at the Springfield Mall after school.

He also wanted you to come, if you want too. Donny and Phil will be hanging out with us, but they're going to the arcade." said Bart as he pulled some marbles out of his locker.

"I guess I could come with you two, but I still need to ask my mom if I can go. They still have that truck? What are they going to do with it?" said Milhouse.

"Keith said they're keeping it just in case an emergency in town happens. I think those kids are taking that stuff way too seriously, especially the emergency thing." said Bart as he closed his locker.

As Bart and Milhouse were about to walk down the hallway, Nelson stepped in front of them, which prevented them from going anywhere. The two boys looked up at the bully, who had his arms crossed.

"Hey dweebs, you know what the deal is today. Hand over your lunch money or prepare for a world of hurt." threatened Nelson.

Milhouse were terrified as to what Nelson may do, but Bart didn't appear to be scared at all. Nelson was back to his usual ways again as other kids in the hallway observed.

"We don't have any money to even feed ourselves, much less give to you. Our lunch is food our moms packed for us. Our town is broke remember?" explained Bart.

Milhouse felt a somewhat calm after hearing Bart's explanation. Nelson had forgotten all about that and was stumped as to what he should do next as he looked at the boys.

"Gee I don't know what a bully does in this situation. Well then, give me anything you two have that's expensive and make it quick." Nelson demanded.

Milhouse reached into his backpack and was prepared to hand Nelson the Radioactive Man comic book, when Bart stopped him from giving it up.

"Don't even think about giving it to him, Milhouse. You put that comic book back into your backpack and leave it in there. Enough is enough with this crap." Bart said aggressively.

Milhouse looked at Bart and thought he had snapped. Other kids were thinking the same thing as Nelson looked disappointed that he was going to have to hurt Bart and Milhouse.

Some kids backed away and some hid near lockers, trash cans, and even other classrooms. Bart then took his backpack off and handed it to Milhouse. He got into Nelson's face as there was a stand off in the hallway.

No one has seen Bart do this, since Valentine's Day when he refused to give Nelson a valentine. Nelson had forced Bart to give him a valentine, after he threatened Bart's life. Bart no longer cared about what happened on that day.

"Nelson, before I say what I have to say, let me get this off of my chest. To all of you other kids hiding, get your damn asses out of hiding and stand here like you mean it.

You guys didn't come home cowards, you came home as heroes. Start acting like it, because I'm beginning to think that everything we went through was for nothing." replied Bart.

The other children nervously, but bravely got out of their hiding places and stood within distance of Bart, Milhouse, and Nelson. Bart made sure everyone was watching him as he got in Nelson's face.

"For all the years I've known you, Nelson, you were the toughest kid in school. Up until my cousins came, no one rivaled you at this school. No one in this school was equal to you and that's how kids and teachers use to fear you.

Not even those three goofs you use to hang out with, Jimbo, Dolph, and Kearney could go toe to toe with you. I've asked, why do you target everyone here, when none of them did anything to you?

It's something that's bothered me since the day we met. After so long of waiting, I've finally discovered the reason. It took a while and our little trip to Shelbyville for me to finally figure it out." said Bart.

No one knew what Bart was going to say. It surprised many that he was bravely standing up to a kid, who has beaten him up many times in the past. Nelson was intrigued by Bart's statements.

"If you think you know the reason, then prove it to everyone in this school, Simpson. Say what you have to say if you think you know so much. Humor me and everyone here." Nelson challenged.

"Fine, but after I tell the truth, don't kick my ass for being real about it. Henry was right about you and those three goofs, you guys aren't that tough, because you don't have the guts to fight older kids.

You and those stooges only fight the same kids over and over again, but sooner or later Nelson, those kids you've gone after will stand up and fight back. It's already happening with me.

Another reason you bully is to hide the fact your father ran away from you and your mother. He never returned for years after running away, because he didn't have the guts to be there for you.

In my personal opinion, he's way worse than my father ever was and that's a mouthful for me to say. After he left, your mom became a stripper to support you and herself in this shell of a town.

When your father returned you were happy for the first time in your life, but deep down I knew you still weren't happy. You're the oldest kid in the fourth grade and your father missed out a lot in your life.

So you made that up by hanging out with three losers, who are going to end up dead in a few years at best. You were jealous, because a handful of other kids had a better relationship with their families and not you.

That's why you hung out with me, because my father is also a terrible parent too. Despite his cluelessness, he still cares about me and my sisters. You're still filled with envy." said Bart.

It had to be one of the most serious discussions Bart has ever had with anyone, since the journey to Shelbyville. Nelson's eyes widen in surprise as Bart continued.

"On top of everything I've said, you've gone soft. I think you don't have what it takes to pass the fourth grade. You're too busy living in the past and not bothering to move on with your life.

You can knock me and Milhouse out, you can kill us for all we care, but the facts won't lie at the end of the day. When you fail again, you're going to end up dealing with another set of fourth graders.

We're just going to be another memory for you. What are you going to do about yourself? Are you going to beat me and Milhouse up for not giving you something you didn't work for? Are you going to continue living in the past?

Or are you going to prove everyone wrong that you're not soft. I can't believe I'm going to say this and most of you are going to call me crazy. Do you still have what it takes to pass the fourth grade?

Pass Friday's test in Mrs. McConnell's class, which we either pass or fail. I'm warning you, if your mind decides to attack me or Milhouse, I'll kick your ass myself in front of everyone in this school.

I'm not here to play around with dumbasses and fatherless psychos, who are full of excuses. Be a man for once in your life and man up." said Bart as he got ready to fight.

Everyone was shocked by this new side of Bart. Confronting Nelson was one thing, but threatening to beat him up was another level. Some were concerned Nelson might kill Bart for what he said to him.

"And if that walking fork and his two boyfriends attempt to interfere in the fight, they'll be dealing with us. They're going to learn, that playing rough with the fifth graders is a disaster." said a voice.

Everyone turned to see Phil with his arms crossed. Ever since Shelbyville, he's remained close with Bart, Donny, Milhouse, and the Parkinson kids. He stood there with several other fifth grade boys behind him.

They were also ready to fight Dolph, Jimbo, and Kearney, if they ever show up. These boys were the same kids that were involved in the rivalry with the fourth graders.

"I'm not fighting you or your cousins. I'm also not going to start anything with the fifth graders. I'll play your little game, Simpson. I'll pass that test on Friday and prove everyone wrong.

I don't need Jimbo, Dolph, Kearney around me to survive. I was surviving before they were relevant in this school. I can get by on my own without them or anyone else telling me what to do." Nelson said sincerely.

Bart was surprised Nelson didn't attack for those remarks he made about his father and his life. He was a bit relieved that he wasn't going to have to fight someone today.

"Fine then, may the better student win. You get a higher grade than me and Milhouse, you get whatever money we have and anything valuable from us.

However, if you fail to get a higher grade than the two of us, you must give up bullying the entire school, permanently. What do you say about that deal?" said Bart.

Nelson didn't even hesitate to think about what Bart said or what was on the line. He shook Bart's hand and the deal was set. Milhouse and everyone in the hallway couldn't believe what they witnessed.

Nelson walked away to get himself ready as he left everyone to wonder what was going to happen. He was in for the toughest challenge ever.

"Good work on not letting Nelson get to you, Bart. Even if you have to do a test that decides whether you pass or fail the fourth grade, at least you won't get beat up for no reason." replied Martin.

Bart turned to Martin, who was with a girl, which caught everyone by surprise. It was none other than Melody Juniper, who was one of Bart's ex-girlfriends from Bart's past. Melody was the same as Bart had remembered her.

Bart had made peace with her and all of his other ex-girlfriends, prior or during the perilous journey into Shelbyville. Bart had introduced Melody to Martin a few days after returning to Springfield.

"Thanks Martin and you're right. I was so close to smashing his face into the nearest locker. It's like everything we went through a month ago meant nothing to the guy." said Bart.

Both Martin and Melody nodded as everyone was quiet in the hallway, until several familiar kids showed up. Soon everyone began to chatter once again.

"Gotta ask you two, what just happened with Nelson? Everyone here looks as if they just saw a ghost or something?" asked a voice.

It was Keith who spoke to Bart and Milhouse. He, along with his brothers and sisters had finally arrived at school. They could tell something big happened as everyone was still talking about it.

Damion, Henry, and Keith were wearing the same Hawaiian shirts they wore to the party a month ago and decided to keep their hair naturally red colored, rather then dying it again.

"Hey guys, nice shirts. We just made a bet with Nelson. If he can pass Friday's test he will get our money and anything expensive from us. If he fails, he has to give up bullying forever." said Bart.

Keith and his siblings were surprised, but were okay with Bart and Milhouse making such a deal with Nelson.

"I hope you two know what you're doing in that case. Good luck on your test." said Keith.

"Don't worry, me and Milhouse will study for the test." replied Bart as he looked at Milhouse.

Milhouse was afraid he would let Bart down and was beginning to doubt himself.

"Milhouse, you look a little scared there. What's up with you man?" asked Raven.

"What's wrong, Milhouse? Was it something I said? Since when do you stay quiet this long?" asked Bart.

"Bart, I'm not sure if I can do this. I mean what if I let us down? What if I fail to get a better grade than Nelson" said Milhouse.

"It's not wise to doubt yourself Milhouse. If you believe in yourself, then you have nothing to worry about." said Phil.

Milhouse looked at his best friends, who he considered his brothers and nodded. He sighed, since he was relieved that he wasn't going to fight Nelson.

"Besides you two shouldn't let bullies push you around. Only you guys are in control of yourselves, no one else." said Keith.

"Check out the redneck tough kids, who helped saved something no one cares about. Plus they're hanging out with the kid that ate a dead frog and a Milhouse. All of you chumps should be respecting us and not a kid who ate a dead frog." said the voice.

The voice came from Jimbo, who was back to teasing Parkinson kids, but Keith turned around and marched towards Jimbo again. None of the children were laughing, because they respected Keith and his family.

Keith got in Jimbo's face. Keith didn't even care that Dolph and Kearney were with him. Keith then grabbed Jimbo by the shirt and slapped him right across the face.

"You look like you just walked all over your own grave, boy! That's all the insults you have, tough guy?" said Keith as he slapped Jimbo across the face again.

Dolph and Kearney had grabbed onto Keith, but Keith slammed the two boys against the lockers. Dolph and Kearney fell to the ground in pain as they released Keith. Large dents formed across the lockers.

The two boys got up, but Henry pulled out a can of something. He sprayed both Dolph and Kearney in the face. The two boys screeched in pain as they fell to the floor. The spraycan used was mace, which did more then enough to disable the two bullies.

Keith grabbed Jimbo and slapped him over and over again. Jimbo's cheeks turned red as Keith delivered another powerful slap to his face. Jimbo fell to the ground in pain as Keith grabbed him and ripped Jimbo's shirt off.

"You're going to respect me whether you love me or hate me. You will also respect Bart, Milhouse, Phil, Donny, Ryan, Martin, Lisa, Janey, Allison, and every single kid in this hallway for what we did.

They're the ones that brought the statue back to our town. You and those clowns were too busy drinking booze, while we were fighting for Springfield. Look at you James, you've lost a lot of respect ever since we came here.

Hell you weren't even respected before we came here. You ranaway and cowered in fear in front of Laura. You didn't have the guts to defend your ex-girlfriend.

You can barely hold onto a girl for less than a week without being given the bitch. You're a few years older then me and still repeating the same grades. You'll be lucky to survive in the real world.

Every kid in this hallway went through the real world and we barely made it out. You're too much of a coward to survive in the real world." said Keith as he slapped Jimbo across the face again.

Mrs. McConnell and Mike came out of their classrooms and saw the commotion. Jimbo was releaved to see some teachers breaking up the fight.

"What's going on here? Is there another fight taking place in this hallway again, because this needs to stop." said Mrs. McConnell.

"Unlike most of the teachers here, if any of you are starting a fight, we're sending you to the office." replied Mike.

"Sorry about the fight, Mrs. McConnell and Mike. James and his two clowns have the audacity to demand us to respect them. I wouldn't respect these fatherless cheesesticks even if they were on food stamps." replied Keith.

"It's hard to respect these guys, who didn't bother to help us. They go around acting like they run this school, while Chalmers and Seymour run around like chickens with their heads cut off.

The man is delusional, always was and still is. He doesn't have any control over this school and never did for the last eight years I've been here." said Phil.

Mrs. McConnell and Mike turned their attention to the bullies, who had recovered from being beaten and humiliated. The two teachers pointed at the two bullies.

"You three, go to the office now, before we call the police and have you arrested for disturbing the school system." Mrs. McConnell said firmly.

Jimbo and his friends ranaway from the hallway as everyone looked on. It was the first time in a long time, since a teacher has put a student in their place like that. Mike patted Phil on the head, as he and Ms. McConnell turned their attention to the rest of the children.

"Being honest with you all of you, Skinner is the biggest joke that I've ever seen. The union would normally prevent us from saying things like that, but at this point it no longer matters.

The union is already falling apart. You also have Chalmers, who is so useless, the only thing he's good for is yelling at Skinner. He hasn't done anything to improve the school for years.

As a matter of fact, I had Chalmers as a teacher years ago in high school. He was terrible as a teacher back then and is terrible at his current job. This school has been sinking faster than the Titanic for years." said Mike.

"We've been saying the same thing around here, since day one sir. Now everyone in the school knows Skinner is a sorry excuse of a principal. Chalmers and Leopold, they're the biggest hypocrites we've seen.

It's too bad those yesmen don't have the guts to remove trash like Elizabeth Hoover from the school, but that's what happens when grown men don't grow a set." said Henry.

Many in the hallway agreed with everything. It was also no surprise that some of the faculty viewed Chalmers, Leopold, and Skinner as failures.

"That idiot, Elizabeth Hoover. If this was recess time, I would tell you kids a personal story about her and it's something that should've gotten her fired already. As for now, behave children." said Mrs. McConnell.

She and Mike went back into their classrooms to get their lessons for the day ready as everyone in the hallway was quiet. It was fitting to finally see teachers take control of situations like that.

"First, I'm glad to see some teachers are seeing this crap that we've been going through. It's about damn time some come out clean about this mess. Keep in mind, those bullies are not a threat anymore.

Use that to your advantage if you're confronted by them. Feel free to use the numbers game if you have too. Don't let them push you around." said Keith.

Everyone agreed to take his advice. As thing went back to normal Damion and Henry were approached by a girl, who spoke to them.

"Boy, if those three said that to my brother, he would kill these three." said a girl to Damion and Henry.

The girl that spoke to the twins was named Koko. She's wearing a blue and white shirt with red flowers, long blue pants, and blue and white sneakers. She has long red hair tied in a ponytail and has pale skin complexion.

"He would chop them up into pieces with an axe and use them as chum for sharks. Your brother is nuts Koko, much worse than I am." said Henry.

"You're telling me Henry, he's very serious with what he does around here. I guess that's a good thing for me that he cares. Kidnapping people is business as usual for him." said Koko.

The bell then rang and everyone went to their classes. Bart and Milhouse knew they dodged a bullet today, but they had to worry about Nelson on Friday. They also had to study in order to win this bet.


	2. Managing Lisa

Word of the fight between Francine and Lisa had spread like wildfire throughout the school. At lunch, Bart confronted Lisa as he sat with her. He was stunned when he heard Lisa was planning on fighting Francine on Friday.

He wasn't the only one as Janey, Milhouse, Martin, Allison, and the Parkinsons sat at the same table with Lisa. Then one girl wearing a blue and red striped sweater joined them.

For once Lisa wasn't going to be having lunch alone, but this had nothing to do with having friends. This was over a serious matter that Lisa was getting into on Friday.

"Lisa, what the hell is this thing I hear about you challenging Francine to a fight? Have you gone completely crazy or are you just being stupid today?" said Bart.

"Yeah, since when do you out of all people start picking fights with the bullies at school? You're not Steven Seagal." added Milhouse.

"Bart, I'm not crazy about what I said to Francine earlier today. She offended me and our family. I'm tired of being bullied and having money taken. It's time that I stand up for myself." said Lisa.

"Lisa, trying to get yourself hurt isn't the way to prove something. As much as you want to fight, you have to remember you're not a hundred percent. Francine isn't either, matter of fact none of us are, even though it's been a month.

Francine is as tough as a tank. Only a few girls in this school can rival Francine and surprisingly it's not Sara. You and her could seriously hurt each other for no reason." said the girl wearing the striped sweater.

"Lis, when Francine was the new kid at school, she beat you up so many times it wasn't even funny anymore after two days. Many were concerned about your safety around here.

Jimbo, Nelson, Dolph, and Kearney wanted nothing to do with Francine and those four have no problems dealing with me or Milhouse. That should be telling you that what you're doing is reckless." said Bart.

"It's never wise to fight someone that has been able to beat you up many times before. They practically know your strengths and weaknesses more then anyone else.

That's why Francine suckered you into this fight in the first place, since she knows how to break you, emotionally, mentally, and physically." said Keith.

Lisa knew her brother and her friends cared about her, but she had to do this to end the harassment. She sighed as she looked at her friends.

"Guys I know you're worried about me doing this and I appreciate you being concerned. I need to end the bullying once and for all. If I walk away from this, people will start calling me a coward.

It's too late for me to walk away. I'm already in the fight, so I might as well get ready for it." said Lisa as she resumed eating.

Everyone knew what they were saying wasn't getting through to her. It was futile to continue to convince her.

"If you have to do this, please be careful handling this. Don't get yourself hurt more then you already are." said Janey.

"Get ready Lisa, because you're in for the fight of your life. This is something you can't use your brain to get out of." added Martin.

"You may want to find someone that can help you train for the fight. I'd find a boy to fight in this case. Francine fights like both a boy and a girl." said Allison.

"A very destructive combination too. Believe me, I found that out with Priscilla when I first met her." said Keith.

"Looking at the many times you've never told mom or dad about what I do at school, I'll help you Lisa, under one condition." said Bart.

"Don't have another fight at school against a bully again, unless your life is in danger. Leave the fights to me and Milhouse okay. After my trip to the mall, I'll get your ready." he said with a smug.

Lisa smiled and nodded as she ate her lunch with her friends. Things went normal for the rest of the day, but with the fight coming soon, Lisa had a lot on her mind. Bart and Milhouse had to deal with that bet with Nelson.

Things appeared to be normal in the cafeteria, until Dolph, Jimbo, and Kearney entered the cafeteria. At this point, no one took them seriously anymore. Many scoffed at them on sight, but they were desperate to gain back some of their reputation as they approached Martin.

"Hand over your lunch money, dweeb or else you know what's coming." demanded Jimbo as he looked down on Martin.

Martin wasn't in the mood for Jimbo's demands today. He was also with his girlfriend and found the trio to be very inappropriate.

"Get lost baldy. Spare me from your pathetic request to gain currency that you don't deserve. I'm clearly busy with someone." replied Martin.

The comment angered Jimbo severely, who grabbed Martin by the shirt and lifted him up to his height.

"I guess you don't have any respect for me do you, Martin?" said Jimbo as he was seething over the comment.

"You're right I don't have a lot of respect for you or those two dorks. However, this does." said Martin.

Martin slapped Jimbo across the face, causing Jimbo to let go of Martin as he winced in pain. Everyone in the cafeteria howled over Martin's actions.

Jimbo was now livid about being slapped in the face by a kid he considered a nerd. Before he was able to do something, he and his two friends were then surrounded.

Database, Report Card, Ham, Cosine, E-mail, Allison, Wendell, Colin, Isabel, and a few others had surrounded the bullies. This prevented them from going anywhere.

"What do you kids want? Do you kids want a piece of us too? Well come and get some of us then." replied Kearney.

"Actually, you were suppose to say bring it on. You weren't suppose to ask them two questions." said Dolph.

Kearney and Jimbo looked at Dolph like he was crazy. Martin kicked Jimbo in the groin, causing Jimbo to fall to the floor in pain. Everyone in the cafeteria winced in pain over that attack.

"Oh my God, Martin just pulled a Ric Flair on that loser. He's the new dirtiest player in the game." Bart said as he laughed along with a number of other kids.

The other overachievers began to attack the bullies. Wendell took out Kearney's legs, causing him to fall to the floor. Database then put Kearney in a modified headlock as other kids piled on him.

The weight of the children caused Kearney to fall to the ground on his stomach. The overachievers then pummeled him with kicks and punches. Dolph just stood by and watched. He didn't even attempt to get involved.

Soon the trio ran out of the cafeteria as everyone cheered for the overachievers. An hour after school ended, Bart, Damion, Donny, Henry, Keith, Milhouse, and Phil went to the mall.

They used their skateboards to get to the mall. This didn't stop the boys from causing mayhem along the way. Donny and Phil went into the arcade to play the various games with the other kids. Bart, Damion, Henry, Keith, and Milhouse were talking.

"So have you two figured out what you're going to get? After we're done, we will get Donny and Phil from the arcade and have lunch." said Keith.

"My mom told me nothing extreme. Then she got into another fight with my dad and I just left. Things got too strange after that. Bart, are you actually going to have your spikes cut off?" asked Milhouse.

"Heck no, not even if I was drunk I wouldn't think of doing something like that. My bad boy spikes are my image. I don't know what I would do if I ever had them cut off." said Bart.

"You could have your spikes grow longer by having a hair growth product. Plus it can repair any damage done to your hair from over the years. Milhouse, I think your parents need to see a marriage counselor, like soon.

It has to be a good one not someone who half asses it, just to be there. They may have gotten remarried, but that doesn't mean the roots of the issues between the two have been addressed." said Keith.

Bart thought about the idea. He never really thought about getting longer hair before, let alone changing his appearance. Milhouse nodded as he was strongly considering the idea.

"Keith, that sounds like a good idea. I think I'll go for it and change the way things are in my family. Too many men in our family going bald." said Bart as he chuckled.

"Balding on our side of the family was and still is rare. Maybe it's a genes thing from what we've been told." said Henry.

"Today was funny how those three stooges got their asses kicked, twice in the same day." replied Damion.

"Oh yes, when Martin slapped James across the face, it was the end of his reputation as a bully." added Keith.

"I never thought Martin Prince had it in him to slap Jimbo across the face. Everyone talked about him and the nerds for the rest of the day, something that's never happened in our school." said Bart.

"It goes back to what we've been saying. Dealing with bullies shouldn't be difficult. Strength in numbers is a huge weapon to use and it worked effectively as everyone saw today." said Henry.

The boys walked into the Da Buzz Club. Since there wasn't a lot of people in the mall, they were soon getting their hair done. This wasn't going to take long for the boys, since the staff were in a good mood.

Damion, Henry, and Keith were getting minor trims to their lengthy red hair. Milhouse had his hair lathered with olive oil. He then had his bangs combed out to become longer.

"Man I can't wait until we get to school tomorrow. All the girls are going to be all over me." said Milhouse as he imagined.

"Don't know what will happen, but hopefully everyone at school will notice you this time, Milhouse." said Keith.

Bart was having his spikes combed out and his hair was lathered with a hair growth solution by a female employee.

"That stuff being used is Dimoxinil. It's been modified, so that you don't have to keep reapplying it every day. It's also easier and cheap to produce now, which is why it no longer cost a thousand dollars." said Damion.

"Very good observation there. It's true, we now make it ourselves, rather than buying it from the producer of the product. Before we were spending a fortune on Dimoxinil." said the female employee.

Bart was enjoying the treatment as the boys waited for their hair to be done. It took the boys thirty minutes before they were done. They met up with Donny and Phil at the arcade and went to the cafe. After, lunch the boys were speaking with each other as they were leaving the mall.

"Bart, now that's over with, what are you going to do about Lisa? Friday, she has the fight with Francine. We also have a test on that same Friday that we need to pass." said Milhouse.

"I don't have a plan yet, but I'm thinking of something. I know Francine fights like both a boy and girl, like Keith mentioned in the cafeteria. Maybe Lisa can use that to her advantage on Friday." said Bart.

"I don't want Lisa to fight Francine or any bully, especially with what we went through a month ago. There is a chance both of them could seriously hurt each other." said Milhouse.

"You don't have to remind me, Milhouse. All of us got hurt in Shelbyville, hell we almost died several times. I don't want her to be unprepared, so I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure she wins." said Bart.

"With all due respect, Bart your sister is very stubborn. We respect her tremendous enthusiasm, but there is other things wrong. She's not up to par with reality, which makes things worse for her.

She thinks she will get her own way no matter what and likes to force her beliefs onto other kids. This is probably not the place to talk about it, but she is our cousin. We care about her too." said Henry.

"As much as I hate to say it, I have to agree with Henry. Lisa is kind of tough for other kids to put up with. She may not know much about this, but many talk a lot of smack about her, because of that." said Milhouse.

"I'm not going to deny it guys. Everything you guys are saying is true. Her ex-boyfriends have told me the same thing you guys are saying. I'm not going to speak much about Lisa's personal life, but you may want to hear this.

Colin, who was one of her ex-boyfriends told me something about Lisa that turned him away from her. The reason the relationship went sour after Trappuccino, is because Colin didn't like how Lisa treated other kids.

Lisa bragged continuously about having a boyfriend to everyone. Even I wouldn't have done what she did and I'm one of the bad kids at school.

Even though, I did nothing about that situation. Lisa is a big girl now and none of us can keep holding her by the hand forever. She needs to make her own decisions in life, even if they are bad.

She also likes to find ways she can physically hurt me, even when I don't act up. She doesn't give up until she's met her match." Bart said sounding annoyed.

He was still bothered by the idea his younger sister has been able to beat him up in the past. The other boys agreed that Lisa does need to make her own decisions.

"I remembered some kids at lunch were talking about how Lisa bragged about that Irish boy she was dating. I use to think she was still with him. Had no idea they broke up so soon." said Phil.

"The days I'm able to hang around the school, I recalled the same thing with Lisa. Some have gone as far as to say she's the biggest misandry anyone has ever dealt with.

Some have challenged her on that issue, which she denied, but everyone has seen through her denial. She isn't very good at holding onto boys for long from what everyone at school says." replied Donny.

"Most don't talk about Lisa anymore, now that she's gotten a level of respect from everyone. Strange that she's able to beat you up Bart, but not anyone else. I think it's a chicken and egg thing." said Milhouse.

Bart quickly punched Milhouse in the shoulder and smirked as he looked at Milhouse. Milhouse rubbed his shoulder as he looked at Bart.

"What was that for? I didn't say that to insult you or Lisa in anyway." Milhouse said as he clutched his arm and checked to see if there was a bruise.

Donny and Phil snickered at the way Bart hit Milhouse. Keith and his brothers tried not to laugh at Bart and Milhouse as they exited the mall.

"I just hope Lisa is very careful with her fight on Friday. We also hope you two can handle your bet with Nelson on the same day." said Damion.

"We can beat each other up another time. Focus on the tasks at hand you two, because Friday is going to be here before you know it." said Keith.

Bart and Milhouse agreed. They had a number of things to worry about than to argue with each other.

"If you two need help with your tasks, the three of us are down with you guys." said Damion.

"We're going too once we get back home. Thanks for the haircut and lunch guys." said Milhouse.

Damion, Henry, and Keith nodded as they got on their skateboards and left. It was just Bart, Donnie, Milhouse, and Phil.

"Looks like it's the four of us again. We need to get home and make it fun at the same time." said Milhouse.

"Oh don't worry my friend. I have just the tools to make our journey home, interesting." said Bart devisiously.

Bart then pulled out his signature slingshot. He handed Milhouse several marbles as Milhouse pulled out his slingshot too.

"This is kind of strange. Why use marbles instead of the usual rocks?" questioned Milhouse.

"Kenny told me that using marbles with a slingshot is an even more destructive weapon." said Bart.

Milhouse then grinned as he got on his skateboard. Donny and Phil were using spray paint to deface property. Bart had his slingshot ready for trouble once again.

The four boys rode their skateboards through the town. Bart and Milhouse fired marbles at various objects and people around town. Donny and Phil ruined people's clothes and vehicles with red paint.

People yelled and expressed their displeasure for their actions as the boys rolled through town. They passed by Dolph, Kearney, and Jimbo. The four gave the bully trio a glare. The bullies didn't even attempt to try and stop them as they rolled by.

They eventually got to Evergreen Terrance. The boys were laughing over the amount of chaos they caused.

"Later guys, we gotta get started on both our homework and studying for the test." replied Bart.

"Bart, after your test and that fight with your sister is over with, we should finish where we left off with our brawl. My classmates are bothering me over that." replied Phil with a grin.

"Okay Phillip, bring those same fifth graders after school on Friday. There is no rain expected to happen on that day, so nothing can go wrong." said Bart with smug.

Phil nodded as he and Donny left. Bart ran inside the house and sat down in the kitchen to start his homework. Besides himself, Marge and Maggie were the only ones in the house today.

Homer went out drinking with the guys at Moe's Tavern. Lisa was hanging out with Allison, Alex, Janey, Sherri, and Terri. Bart was doing some studying at the same time for the test.

Marge was surprised to see Bart studying and wondered why Bart was doing his homework. She didn't attempt to question it, since she knew this could be a sign of better things to come from Bart.

"I'm so glad to see you taking your homework serious, my special little guy. How was your trip with your cousins?" said Marge as she kissed her son.

"We had a great day today at the mall, along with Donny and Phil. Things couldn't have been better for all of us." said Bart with a smile.

Marge left Bart alone, so he could finish his homework and studying. Hours passed and Lisa was in Bart's room. Lisa had just gotten home from hanging out with her friends.

"Hello Lisa. Are you ready to begin with your task? This fight will change you." said Bart.

"Yes, but I have to comment, your spikes look good today. " replied Lisa as she noticed the change.

"Thanks, we went to a barbershop slash hair salon at the mall today. Milhouse is a different boy." said Bart.

He then got off his bed and let Lisa sit down. Bart was thinking as to what he needs to do with Lisa's fighting skills.

"Because the girl you're fighting is really tough, you have to fight fire with fire. Alright Lis, let's see what you can do against me." said Bart.

Lisa got off of Bart's bed and got ready to fight with her brother. Lisa tried to punch Bart, but was too slow to hit him. Bart easily dodged Lisa's punch and was able to shove Lisa to the floor.

"Lisa what was that? Maggie would of put up a better fight then you. What happened to the Lisa that knocked Nelson out in Shelbyville? The same Lisa who took out some of those guys in Shelbyville, while we were in the Badlands.

That's the Lisa you need to fight a tough person like Francine, not this Lisa. Try to punch me in the face, but I'm not going to make it easy for you." Bart said as he challenged his sister.

"What? I'm not going to punch you in the face. What if I give you a concussion or seriously hurt you?" said Lisa.

"Don't worry about it, you've done it to me before and I'll get back up again." said Bart.

Lisa nodded as she stood up. She tried several times to throw punches at her brother. She was aiming for his face, but she kept missing. Bart had a grin on his face as he easily dodged Lisa's attacks.

"Is that all you got maggot? No wonder everyone at school slaps you around like a tool whenever they feel like it. You can't even throw a punch at your own brother and I think you've gone soft since Shelbyville." said Bart.

The comment Bart made crossed the line. Bart was prepared to start punching his sister. Lisa was angry abut the comment, which reminded her of what Francine said about her life and her family. As Bart prepared to punch his sister, Lisa dodged the attack and tripped Bart.

Bart fell on the floor as Lisa prepared to punch him. Bart was able to dodge it and get up. Lisa was getting faster as she was able to hit her brother now. Lisa then punched him in the stomach.

This stopped Bart in his tracks as he clutched his stomach. Lisa then ended the fight by punching Bart in the forehead, causing Bart to lift up in the air for a few feet. Bart landed smoothly on his back on his bed.

Lisa had punched her brother out, but then realized what she had done. She ran over to Bart's bed and began shaking her brother, desperately trying to wake him up.

"Bart are you okay? Speak to me. Oh, why did you have to make me do that to you?" said Lisa sadly.

It took a few minutes before Bart regained consciousnesses and looked at Lisa with a smile. Lisa helped him back up and kissed him on the forehead. He was a bit dazed, but was okay.

"Good job Lisa. You were smart to think, despite being in put in a tough situation. Let's wrap up this lesson and go watch Krusty the Clown." said Bart.

Lisa nodded and the two went downstairs. Lisa held Bart's hand, since he was still dizzy from being punched. This kept Bart from falling over as they walked down the stairs.

Hours later it was dark in Springfield. Everyone in the Simpson's house had fallen asleep, except for Lisa, who couldn't go to sleep. She was having second thoughts about fighting Francine.

What her friends and classmates said to her the previous day was running in her mind. She was having doubts that she didn't have a chance against Francine. She finally was able to fall asleep despite doubting herself.


	3. The Reality of Choices

The next day morning, Bart woke up. He had a small headache from when Lisa punched him. He got out of his bed and walked into the bathroom. When he looked in the mirror, he saw a shocking sight in front of him.

Bart's spikes grew very long, which caused Bart to look like he had a palm tree on his head as his spikes were long enough to cover his eyes. Bart liked how it looked as he marveled in the moment.

"It worked. It actually worked. For once I can't wait to get to school and show this off to everyone." Bart said to himself.

Lisa walked into the bathroom and was still feeling a bit tired. She then saw Bart's hair. She let out a mild scream as she didn't expect to see her brother like that.

"Bart is that you? What on earth is that on your head or better yet, what is that growing on your head?" Lisa said still surprised at her brother's new look.

"This Lisa is my bad boy spikes. They finally grew up, overnight that is." Bart said as he looked at his lengthy spikes.

Homer and Marge came into the bathroom. They could see Lisa was touching Bart's long spikes. Maggie crawled in and her pacifier fell to the floor. They were surprised to see Bart's hair like this.

"Bart, are you sure you want your hair to be like this? It seems to be a bit excessive." said Marge.

"I'm very sure, though I don't want to look like a walking palm tree that reached puberty overnight at school." said Bart.

Homer then started laughing at what he thought was a joke Bart made. The family rest of the family wasn't laughing as they looked at Homer.

"That wasn't suppose to be a joke, Homer. I was expressing my opinion of not looking like a palm tree." Bart said annoyed.

"Oh, I thought it was the part where I laughed and everyone followed. So much for trying to have a laugh this morning." Homer said disappointed.

Bart and Lisa got ready for school after eating breakfast. The two walked outside to wait for the bus. Bart had his hair tied in a ponytail, thanks to Marge. The color of the hairtie matched Bart's hair color.

Milhouse was also outside and Lisa was surprised to see him. His new hairstyle, caught her attention and she couldn't resist looking at him. Milhouse wore the same clothes the time he found out his parents went missing on a cruise.

Bart himself was wearing something different today. He had on the same shirt he wore to Shelbyville, which Marge was able to repair. Rather than wearing shorts, he had on long blue pants with a chain stinking out.

His slingshot was located in front, attached to his belt. Bart and Milhouse were boys that should be taken seriously, since their tone changed entirely. Lisa was really impressed with Bart and Milhouse today.

"Milhouse, you look good today. I don't know if it's the hair or the trench coat you're wearing, but there is something I like about you this time. Same goes for you, Bart." commented Lisa.

She couldn't believe she was giving Milhouse attention for once. Bart gave Milhouse gave her a nod as the bus arrived. As they got on, the children on the bus immediately took notice of Bart and Milhouse.

They commented on how good they look as the two boys walked passed them. The Parkinsons were still impressed by how Bart and Milhouse turned out.

"We can see yesterday's trip to the mall is paying off. You two look badass today." said Keith.

"Thanks to you guys for yesterday's trip to the mall, which was fun." said Bart.

"It's like we said, no problem. That's what family and friends are for." said Henry.

"Now you two can rub it in the faces of ol' clown shoes, Seymour and his daddy, Gary." said Raven.

Everyone on the bus erupted in laughter. Bart and Milhouse were aware of Nelson, who gave them the look that he was ready for Friday. Bart and Milhouse were also ready for Friday as well.

Lisa looked at Francine, who stared back at her. There was a lot of tension on the bus as it sped down the road. Everyone could feel how intense everything was. Even when they arrived at school, the tension was there.

Everyone had been talking about fight ever since word of it first spread yesterday. Some were even placing bets on who would win. Those that were betting, had their money on Francine. For once, kids weren't avoiding Lisa today.

Many had been asking her all day about what her strategy was against Francine or what she's planning on doing at school today. While Lisa liked having friends and other kids to talk too, she didn't like the attention she was getting.

It didn't feel right to her as she walked through the hallways with everyone pointing at her and asking questions. Then everything stopped as Francine stood in front of her.

Lisa came face to face with Francine, who had arms crossed. Today, Lisa was not going to be intimidated by the bully as the two stared down at each other.

"I have to admit, for a nerd you have a lot of guts. You're going to need more then just guts to be able to fight me. I promise I won't use those pearls to choke you." said Francine.

"I understand that, but I have one question for you. After I beat you, are you finally going to stop the wannabe thug act around here? It's starting to annoy me and all these kids here." said Lisa.

The comment angered Francine, while other kids howled at the comeback. However, Francine calmed down and kept her cool. She was surprised by Lisa's comeback and was actually impressed with the effort.

"Pretty good comeback. That almost set me off there, but actions speak louder then words. So I'll see you tomorrow at the playground." said Francine as she teasingly patted Lisa on the head.

She turned and walked away from Lisa. Francine was holding her lunchbox like a suitcase was purely intimidating to everyone in the hallway. It was a clear reminder of who Lisa was up against.

Deep down, Lisa didn't want to hurt anyone. Not even a bully like Francine, whose made her life at school tough. She had no choice, but to fight back or things will never change for her at school.

She resumed walking as kids continued asking her questions. One of the kids that approached Lisa was another bully that Lisa remembered. It was Sara, who had pushed and taunted Lisa in the past. Sara was joined by her two friends.

"Lisa, I'm probably not the last person around here to say this, but you can't fight Francine. There is something about her that makes her snap and want to beat up nerds. We stopped hanging out with her for a reason.

I don't know why, but whatever it is, you can't risk fighting her tomorrow. We won't tease you about backing away from this fight. We also want to say we're sorry for everything bad we've done to you." Sara said feeling concerned for Lisa.

It was a complete change in attitude from Sara. Many gasped when she apologized to Lisa. Lisa herself was also surprised by Sara's pleas. Despite everything, she shook her head at Sara.

"I can't do that girls. If I walk away from this, I'm become the school's coward no matter what happens. Tomorrow it has to end once and for all or I will just keep being a target." replied Lisa.

Sara and her friends felt disappointed she wasn't able to get through to Lisa, who walked passed them. At lunch, Lisa was eating alone, but not for long.

Milhouse approached her and he was concerned for Lisa's safety. He didn't want Lisa to fight Francine tomorrow. Bart sent him over to convince Lisa to not fight Francine.

"Lisa, please don't fight Francine on Friday. You're only setting yourself up for failure, just like I did when I tried to fight Nelson that one time.

It didn't end well for me either. Please think about what you're doing. Bart said that if you don't fight her, he'll do your chores for two months." said Milhouse.

Lisa looked at Milhouse and rolled her eyes at him. Milhouse wasn't the first or last person to tell her that in the past twenty-four hours, since she's heard it from many of her friends, including Bart.

"Milhouse, I know my brother sent you here to talk me out of the fight. You're a sweet little boy looking after me. Sorry, but it's not going to happen. You might as well turn around and go back to Bart.

Tell Bart it's a nice gesture, but there is nothing the two of you are going to say that's going to stop me from doing what I have to do tomorrow." said Lisa.

Milhouse saw how Lisa was acting and he didn't like it one bit. This only made him even more upset and he forced Lisa to turn around and look at him.

"Now you listen to me here you little starfish headed girl. I've been there for you when you were in tough situations. I've even defended you from other kids.

Even your own brother has stuck up for you, at the expense of costing our reputation around here. You want to know why you're acting like this. It's your own ego that's controlling you.

You're letting it get to you and that will lead to your downfall. If you want to act like a man and fight a bully that could really hurt you, then fine. It's your loss if you lose and end up in the hospital.

If you do beat her, I hope it's worth it to hurt someone else. Just don't come crawling to me if you lose, because I won't be there for you this time. You're on your own toots." said Milhouse.

Everyone in the cafeteria looked at Milhouse, who had told off Lisa. They couldn't believe what they just heard. Milhouse has always been in love with Lisa, but now things have changed drastically.

Ever since yesterday, Milhouse's attitude has changed significantly. He's become unusually tougher than before. Milhouse walked away from Lisa and sat back at the table with Bart, who couldn't believe what he heard from his best friend.

"No matter what anyone here says, I'm still fighting her tomorrow, whether anyone likes it or not." muttered Lisa.

Keith just happened to be near Lisa when Milhouse told her off. He needed to say something to Lisa as he sat down at the table she was at.

"Lisa, please give everyone here a break. You just got told off by Milhouse. What's next? You're going to brush off getting dissed by that washed up slut, Ms. Hoover and the rest of the trash that run this school?" said Keith.

Lisa sat there listening to what Keith was saying to her. Other kids in the cafeteria were watching everything unfolding as they surrounded the table.

"For a girl that's talked about not fighting bullies, you're a massive hypocrite to be fighting Francine. She got to you over a few insults and you didn't even walk away.

That's a shame Lisa that you didn't stand by what you've always believed in. Lisa, as one of my cousins I'm going to tell you something, since Milhouse wasn't able to reason with you.

This is going to be the toughest thing I will ever say to a member of my family. In my eleven years of living, I've never met or seen anyone that's turned on everything they believed. Hon, you need to smell the roses.

Tomorrow you got yourself into a serious predicament. You have to win your fight with Francine, because it's now a very important fight for you. The saying, you can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk is being played here.

Everything you've said to everyone yesterday is now on the line, including your credibility as a person in this school. On top of that, everything you believe in.

Your entire dignity is in jeopardy. Francine suckered you into a position where you have a lot to lose. I want you to take a look at every single kid in this building." said Keith.

Lisa looked and could see that everyone had her attention. No one was ignoring her as they looked at her. Keith then took off his sunglasses and looked at Lisa.

"I want you to look me in the eye and listen. Everyone here knows who you are, since you revealed a lot of things about yourself. All of your ex-boyfriends are in the cafeteria and they're listening right now.

Those days of everyone not knowing who Lisa Marie Simpson are now ancient history, just like Trappuccino. The reason you're relevant around here, before our journey into Shelbyville, is because you're related to Bart.

Bart and many other kids have time and time again told me some things about you that are questionable. Some have told me you're very hypocritical.

You also like to force your beliefs down their throats, while others say you're very prejudice to boys and men in general, not bothering to give them a chance.

Calling them drunk slobs, prone to being violent, and being abusive against women. That's not even being a feminist anymore, that's being a misandry there.

Some have gone as far as to say you barely care about your brother and his well being. I could go on and on about what's being said. The very kids that told me or my siblings weren't kidding around.

Ask some of these kids here these same questions and you're going to hear some interesting stories. I know that's not the point, I just want you to understand that you've made many presumptuous statements.

As for tomorrow, you better have an epiphany. Pray to whoever you believe in, whether it's Jesus, Michelangelo, Lord Buddha, or Samhain, that you win that fight tomorrow afternoon.

Francine has nothing to lose, since she's already established herself as a school bully around here. No need for her to get worried. You on the other hand have a lot to lose tomorrow.

If you don't win tomorrow, you'll forever be known as the biggest phony this school has ever had. We already have several phonies in this school and they run the school, which is embarrassing as it is.

It would really bother me and the rest of our family, if you were labled a phony. Everyone will know you don't have what it takes to live up to your words. A second fight will not matter.

Good luck Lisa, because everything I've said to you today, is the reality of the choices you made yesterday. If you choose to ignore it, just like you did with Milhouse and fail, well, you were warned.

There is nothing me or any kid in this school can do. You're almost nine years old and you're mature enough to deal with these problems. Your soon to be eleven year old brother can't keep holding you by the hand forever.

The same goes for your cousins and friends, especially if you refuse to listen to them. Choices can effect a person's life drastically as I've learned, whether it's for the good or bad." said Keith.

He kissed Lisa on the cheek and walked away, leaving her to think about her choices. Lisa was at a lost for words. As everyone went back to eating their lunches, Lisa realized Keith was right.

If she failed, everything she's about will be for nothing. Bart left the cafeteria early to study for his test tomorrow, which he was determined to pass. As he turned toward the library, he saw Kearney getting into a scuffle with a girl.

Kearney was trying to steal something from the girl. The girl herself was another fourth grader. She wore a light blue shirt with long sleeves, a blue skirt, long white shocks, and blue shoes.

She has tanned skin and has long brown hair. Bart was shocked to see a necklace was being taken from the student. He had seen enough as the girl began to cry as things looked hopeless for her.

"Drop the necklace Kearney or something bad is going to happen to you today! You've caused enough trouble today and I'll be damned if it's my classmates you mess with." said an aggravated Bart.

Kearney turned to see Bart holding his slingshot. He was ready to fire marbles at him as he advanced towards the girl. The bully though Bart had lost his mind to even dare to challenge him.

"You think that slingshot is going to stop me? Simpson, maybe you're drunk or you're high into thinking you can take me on. I'll take out my frustrations on you, instead of this sissy." said Kearney.

Bart fired his slingshot. A marble hit Kearney in the head. It was very painful and it left a red mark on Kearney's head. Bart fired several more marbles at the bully. One hit the bully in the groin, causing him to drop to the floor.

The bully also dropped the necklace he stole from the girl. He could not believe this was happening to him. First Martin and the nerds stood up to him and his two friends, now Bart was taking him down.

"Get the hell out of this school you bastard and take your two boyfriends with you. If you ever do this to one of my classmates again, I'll kill you! No, I'll beat you to death.

I'm sick of you screwing with kids I know. If you ever did this to my sister, God and Satan would not be able to save you for what I would do." Bart said firmly.

Kearney ran as Bart fired the last marbles at Kearney, which hit him in the back of the head. Bart grabbed the necklace and kneeled down to the crying girl.

"Don't cry, everything is okay. He's gone now and I got you this." replied Bart as she handed the girl the necklace.

The girl stopped crying and smiled as she had her necklace back. She was happy to see it again as she looked at Bart.

"Thank you so much, Bart. I was going to the library when that thug tried to steal this from me. This really means a lot to me, since my grandparents gave it to me, before they passed away." replied the girl.

"I can understand it meaning a lot to you. The stuff Krusty gave to me means a lot, considering I saved him from going to jail. You don't have to worry about that thug anymore. I'll walk with you to the library if you want." said Bart.

The girl nodded as Bart helped her up. He collected the marbles he had used against Kearney as he walked with her. The girl held Bart's hand, which was something Bart hadn't experienced for a while.

"My name is Charlotte. We're in the same class speaking of the fourth grade. You're not such a bad boy as some have said, you're nice. You're sister was right about you. Thank you for what you did for me." said Charlotte.

"That's a nice name you have there. My sister does care about me, no matter how many times we fight. Also, no problem, anything to help a young lady, especially one that's in my class." said a nervous Bart.

Bart was a bit nervous, since Charlotte knew who he was. Bart has been trying to improve his image, since he and all the children started going back to school.

Even though Charlotte was one of the many kids that went to Shelbyville last month, Bart didn't know how his relationship with girls would be. Bart knew Charlotte liked him and this time he had to show it.


	4. Rumble at Swapper Jack's

After school was over for the day, Marge went to Swapper Jack's with Bart, Lisa, and Maggie to shop. Bart and Lisa picked out their favorite snacks. They soon saw familiar faces.

"What a pleasant surprise to see you here. Looks like me and you are both magnets when it comes to shopping in grocery stores. Just like we did two weeks ago." replied the voice.

It was Leah with her three boys, who greeted their cousins Bart and Lisa. Leah was wearing a white t-shirt and a trench coat over her t-shirt. She was very noticeable as she was one of the tallest woman anyone had seen.

"Hello Leah. How are you doing on this lovely day?" replied Marge as she pulled out a carton of milk and placed it in the shopping cart.

Leah patted Bart, Lisa, and Maggie on their heads as she greeted Marge. Both Leah and Marge have spoken to each other regularly ever since they first met.

"I figured while I'm off for a few days, I should spend time with my kids. Traveling cross country while driving a forty-five foot motorcoach for days really makes you homesick. You miss your family and your friends.

Me and Daniel didn't have enough time to settle down in Springfield after we moved here. Daniel is hanging out with Homer and the guys at Moe's Tavern, while I'm here with the boys.

My daughters are hanging out with Dina Larock's kids, but will soon be heading over to Moe's Tavern to spend time with Daniel, outside of the bar that is." said Leah.

"That's so sweet. How is Daniel doing with the secret service? Everyone within the government is going cuckoo cuckoo over that information that was released a month ago." said Marge.

"Let's just say the government was caught with it's pants down, again. This time there is no way for them to avoid this. The media has been getting very low viewership, ever since that information about Springfield was revealed.

People within the government are being impeached or being sent to federal prison. Several bankers have or are soon to be arrested for causing the economy to fail numerous times.

The government is literally imploding within itself and there is rumors a riot will be happening in D.C. Daniel has been irritated over this whole thing and so have I.

Imagine the people you work for have been stabbing you and the entire country in the back for years. It's getting very ugly to put it lightly and the worse is yet to come." replied Leah.

As they spoke to each other, their kids were speaking to each other about what happened at school earlier today.

"Martin and the overachievers standing up to those bullies yesterday is a sign of things changing." said Damion.

"I didn't think he and the others had it in them to fight those bullies. That was so strange to see that." replied Lisa.

"Martin Prince, he's one of those kids that can surprise you on any given day with something. He maybe strange to many, but he's that good of a person." said Bart.

"For a guy that some have said is a useless nerd, he can hold his ground very good from what we saw. I'm moreover concerned about what's going to happen on Friday. It's judgement day for you two." said Henry.

"Even though what happened today was a shift in who dominates the school, it's best to focus on the task at hand. Just to tell you two this, we believe in you." said Keith.

Bart and Lisa knew what they had to do come tomorrow as they nodded. Despite working to get ready, they still had a lot of work to do when they get back home.

"Funny thing happened to me today. When I left the cafeteria, I helped this cute girl after Kearney almost stole her necklace. She was really happy that I helped her." said Bart.

"That was nice of you to help out someone, even if you had to fight off some wannabe bully. Who was the girl out of curiosity?" said Henry.

"Her name is Charlotte. She told me the necklace meant a lot to her. We went to the library together and got to know each other. She was really nice to speak with." said Bart.

Everyone was impressed with Bart. Just as it appeared things were going good, Helen Lovejoy appeared and the mood drastically changed.

"Oh, it's you Marge. I see that you're still wearing the same raggedy old green dress you always wear. I don't think you're ever going to get anything trendy to wear are you?" replied Helen as she giggled.

She was wearing a dress similar to her previous one, except it was all turquoise with a white flower on it. Bart and Lisa facepalmed themselves as they had to put up with this woman again.

"Oh my God, I can't stand this woman. Why the hell do we have to deal with her? Like why is she even here to begin with? She needs to stop being the biggest status quo in town." replied Bart.

"Normally I never talk much about her, but you're right Bart. I can't stand being in her presence. She's very spiteful to anyone and thinks she's a saint, because she's married to Reverend Lovejoy." added Lisa.

Marge felt embarrassed by Helen's comment as she looked down at her dress. She liked her dress, but didn't want to say anything to Helen. Leah was not impressed with Helen's comment.

"Excuse me, but that wasn't a very nice thing to say. Besides, why would Marge want to lower herself down to your level? You're wearing a dress that was made in China for crying out loud.

That's the biggest insult to our country and you as an American should be ashamed of yourself. You owe Marge an apology for that disrespectful comment you made." Leah said to Helen.

Helen felt insulted by Leah's comment over her dress and was clearly not going to apologize for her actions. Marge was surprised that someone was standing up for her as she looked on.

"This is between me and Marge, so please mind your own business. It has nothing to do with you and I'm not apologizing to anyone." Helen said sounding annoyed by Leah's comment.

Leah sighed and looked at Marge and the children. She placed on her gloves and her sons knew things were about to get rough as they backed away.

"You two may want to step back. My mom has to school another arrogant woman, yet again." said Keith as he looked at his mom.

"Bart, Damion, Henry, Keith, Lisa, and Maggie, I'm sorry for what I'm going to do. Marge, sorry for what's going to happen here, because she needs to learn to respect people." replied Leah.

Without any warning, Leah grabbed Helen and shoved her against the products. Everyone looked as they watched the scuffle take place. Helen was trying to escape, but Leah had a firm grip on her as she pinned her.

"It is my business now, hon. That woman you insulted is my cousin and my friend. You're going to apologize to her, you're going to apologize to her kids, and you're going to apologize to me and my sons for that comment.

For being an adult, you're very immature and disrespectful to other people. You like to say think of the children, well think about our kids. Do you think they want to hear you disrespect us in front of them?

If you did this back in the Bronx, you would get beat up for it and in some cases stabbed. I use to be a police officer in New York City and I've seen too many cases of that happening." said Leah.

Marge didn't expect to see this happen. Helen refused to apologize to anyone, despite being pinned against the shelves. She was still struggling to escape from Leah, but Leah only held her down even tighter.

"So you're not going to apologize, that's too bad. You leave me no choice, but to take drastic measures. Maybe I didn't make myself clear, so this will change your entire attitude." said Leah.

She grabbed Helen's dress and ripped it clean off of her. Helen was down to her bra and part of her panties were showing for everyone in the store to see.

Helen was shocked by what just happened. Soon many people started taking pictures of Helen in her bra. It was very embarrassing as people pointed and laughed at her humiliation.

Bart, Damion, Henry, Keith, and Lisa tried not to laugh as they watched the embarrassment unfolding for Helen. She tried to cover herself with her hand. Marge covered Maggie's eyes as she looked on.

"This is a lesson to everyone in this town. This is why you respect my mom, whether you like her or not. This is what happens when you disrespect my mom or any of her friends.

My mom use to be known and still is known as the Wall of the Bronx as an officer. Luckily for her, my mom is in a good mood today, or there would be bodies flying all over the store." said Keith.

Bart and Lisa didn't really believe what the Parkinson kids said about Leah, but now they do. Lindsey Naegle confronted both Leah and Helen as the situation was already getting embarrassing for Helen Lovejoy to handle.

"That's my friend there. She had every right to criticize Marge for being a failure at getting with the times in fashion." said Lindsey to Leah as she tried to grab Helen.

"So Helen Lovejoy is your friend? Look, it's not our problem that you two are one of the few in town that leave stretch marks in their bathtubs. That's no excuse to take it out on Marge or anyone for that matter." replied Leah.

Everyone held their mouths in shock over the way Leah told off Lindsey and Helen. Lindsey was so shocked by the comment, she started covering parts of her legs with shopping basket.

Bart, Damion, Henry, Keith, and Lisa began to chuckle at the remark. Maggie's pacifier fell out of her mouth as she began to giggle too. Marge was trying not to laugh over everything that was happening.

"You just got told off by a woman who is younger than both of you two. You're both pathetic. We use to think Joseph Quimby was the only walking piece of trash in this town, but we were wrong." said Henry.

Henry's comment to both Helen and Lindsey only added insult to injury for the two woman. Leah never faced Lindsey as she was focused on Helen the entire time.

"So are you going to apologize or do I have to rip off that bra? Pick soon before I do it for you. It's not going to end well if I have too." replied Leah as she was ready to rip off Helen's bra.

"I'm sorry Marge. I'm sorry Bart, Damion, Henry, Keith, Lisa, and Maggie. Please don't rip my bra off. I'm sorry for what I said about your cousins." exclaimed Helen.

Leah was satisfied as she let go of Helen. She quickly grabbed what was left of her dress and wrapped it around her as Helen covered her eyes from people pointing and laughing at her.

"I don't get some of these women these days. They act like they can disrespect people who work hard to provide for their kids. They criticize, because they're single and they still don't amount much in life.

You gotta stand up for yourself. You're doing what you have to do for your kids, not trying to make a fashion statement. It's a store, not a beauty contest for the harlots in this town." said Leah.

"Thank you, I really appreciate it. I've never been able to defend myself, because of Helen Lovejoy always rubbing things in my face. I've done some crazy things to please her, but they've only made things worse for myself." said Marge.

Both Leah and Marge continued shopping with their kids as things had settled. They last saw Helen running out of the store with her dress wrapped around her. People were still taking photos and laughing at her.

Hours later at the Simpson's house, Lisa was training with Bart. Lisa was improving her fighting skills and was able to hit Bart more effectively. Bart had his hair hanging out, instead of being tied together.

Lisa's determination to win tomorrow had increased significantly. What Keith said to her at school only motivated her further. It was past ten o'clock at night and Bart and Lisa finished with the training.

"Well Lis, nice job on the training. You'll do fine tomorrow as long as no one in the crowd does anything stupid. Just be yourself and be fast to avoid those attacks from Francine." said Bart.

Bart and Lisa walked to the window and stared into the night sky. It was a clear night and the moon was bright. It reminded the two of their past adventures and how much they bonded together in that time period.

"What Keith said to me in the cafeteria is what's motivating me to win this fight. I need to win tomorrow, because if I fail, then it's over for me. Being respected doesn't bother me, I'm fighting for my reputation as a person.

That's on the line for me. I didn't care that other kids made fun of me or teased me. I'm being forced into a situation where I need to fight back against someone to prove a point." said Lisa.

"I know how you feel, Lis. This fight could forever change the course of your life. Look what happened to Homer. He barely graduated high school and never made it to college, because he never sobered up.

Look at the job he works at now and look how we're living. I know college isn't for everyone, but Homer is extremely reckless with money, which is why we're lucky to even have the things we own.

Whatever happens tomorrow won't affect me, since I'm Bart Simpson. I hate to sound like a broken record, but you should've walked away Lisa. Now you're in a fight with one of the toughest kids at school.

With the training we've been doing for the last few hours and the day before, you should have no trouble Lisa. Just don't get cocky, because that's something you like to do." said Bart.

Lisa was surprised to hear what her brother was saying. She didn't want to admit she was cocky as she was ready for tomorrow. Lisa hugged her brother, who hugged her back as they looked out the window.

"Everyone wants you to win tomorrow, which is why Keith said what he had to say in the cafeteria. You did kind of hurt Milhouse's feelings today. He doesn't want to speak with you for a bit." said Bart as he held his sister.

"Maybe I haven't been fair to Milhouse lately. I've brushed him over too many times and now he's grown tired of it. I'll talk to him tomorrow. You know how he is when he sees me." said Lisa.

"I don't think that's going to happen. Milhouse said he was going to avoid you all day until the fight happened. When Milhouse gets really angry at someone, he doesn't talk to them for a while. He did it to me when I abused our friendship. You could try, but I don't think anything will change in one day.

Give him some time and he will speak to you again. I also have to get ready for the prank on Seymour, which surprisingly is going to be the third most exciting thing at school tomorrow." said Bart.

Before Bart was able to leave Lisa's room, Lisa held his shoulder as she wanted to say one more thing to him.

"Bart, there is one more thing I want to speak to you about. It's about that girl that you met at school." said Lisa.

"Lis, before you ask, no we didn't kiss each other and we didn't hug each other, yet." said Bart as he chuckled.

Lisa giggled over Bart's response about Charlotte. She was glad to see Bart still had his sense of humor, despite the situations they were both going to be in come tomorrow.

"Not that silly. What I want to say is that you really have to open up to her. You have to show her that you value her presence. Another thing is that you also need to show some maturity around her." said Lisa.

Bart understood what he had to do when it came to being around Charlotte. Charlotte has been on his mind ever since he last saw her.

"Bart, this time you can't afford to make significant mistakes, like you did with Mary, Jenny, and every other girl you've come across. You did make amends with your ex-girlfriends and everyone is proud of you. Now you have to prove it to the girls at our school that you have changed.

I'm really afraid that if you don't, you're going to be single for a long time. I can't tell you what to do, since you're almost eleven years old, but for once take my advice as the days go on." replied Lisa.

Bart gave her a nod as they hugged once more. After Bart left her room, Lisa sighed. She didn't feel okay going through with this fight. Despite that, she doesn't like being abused by other kids either. It was a major paradox for her.

She was tired of everything negative happening to her at school on a daily basis. Lisa had no other choice, but to fight back. She decided to go to bed early. Keith's words to her were running in her mind as she fell asleep.


	5. Judgement Day

The next day, the fight was to take place. Lisa was wearing the same clothes she wore to Shelbyville. Many kids have been talking about the fight all day and some were placing bets on who will win.

There was even a poster that was advertising the fight, which was courtesy of Jimbo, Kearney, and Dolph. Lisa was ready as the fight was one hour away from happening. Bart and Milhouse were also ready for their test, which would determine the outcome of their bet.

Lisa didn't see Francine at all today and thought she was absent from school today, which meant she would not have to fight her at all. She felt very confident that nothing bad would happen today.

In Mrs. McConnell's class, the children were taking the test. This test was originally planned for Mrs. Krabappal's kids, but the kids in her class never had the chance to take it.

To the children from her class, it was very surreal to be taking the last test Edna had assigned to them. They were suppose to take this test just a month and a half before the Shelbyville incident took place.

The other children in the class were also aware of the bet between Bart, Milhouse, and Nelson. It was very tense in the class as the three boys took their test. As the students finished their test, they quickly turned their attention to Bart, Milhouse, and Nelson.

Even after ten minutes went by, the three boys were the only ones left taking the test. Charlotte was looking at Bart as she had faith in her new friend.

Martin and Melody had given Bart and Milhouse advice on their test and that was to stay focus. Milhouse was the first one to finish the test, which left Bart and Nelson as the last two.

Milhouse was hoping that Bart would pull through with this test as everyone else looked on. Both Bart and Nelson finished at the same time. It was so tense, that some kids began to sweat.

Mrs. McConnell collected the tests from Bart, Milhouse, and Nelson and began to grade them. Bart and Milhouse stared at Nelson. The entire class was completely silent as they waited for their teacher to grade their tests.

Many weren't even concerned if they passed or failed. They wanted to know what was going to happen between the three boys. Mrs. McConnell finished as she had a happy expression on her face.

The children could tell the entire class passed as they sighed with relief. As their teacher passed back the tests, everyone waited for Bart, Milhouse, and Nelson's results. As the three boys got their tests, they looked at each other.

"So what did you get on the test, Milhouse? This is it for the fourth grade. I'm ready for this bet and all the stress that came with it to finally end." said Bart.

"I agree, but there is one more thing we need to take care of. Before we even answer what we got on our test, what did you get on your test, Nelson?" asked Milhouse.

Nelson didn't have to answer the question, as he turned the test around and showed the two boys his results. Everyone, except Bart and Milhouse gasped. Nelson got all the questions right.

Bart and Milhouse looked at each other as they knew what they were thinking. They turned their tests around and showed Nelson and the class. A row of gasps was heard. Bart and Milhouse also had all the questions correct.

Nelson wasn't surprised by the results from his rivals. The three boys knew what this meant. The bet they made is going to be a draw. Bart and Milhouse reached into their backpacks to pull out the most expensive things they possessed.

"You two can keep them if you want too, but there is one thing I want you two to do that is important." said Nelson.

Bart and Milhouse were surprised by the gesture from Nelson. Nelson got up out of his seat to look both boys, face to face. The two best friends also got up from their seat to face Nelson once more.

"You sure you want to do this? You don't have to, since this bet is a draw. The three of us just proved we have what it takes to survive in this school." said Bart.

"It's not only that. It's time for me to announce my retirement from bullying. It like you said to me two days ago, it really is time for me to move on from everything that's happened in my life." replied Nelson.

The entire class was shocked over what Nelson said as was Bart and Milhouse. Despite the shocking decision, they respected Nelson's decision. It was going to be very strange to see Nelson not bullying anyone.

Bart, Milhouse, and Nelson were reminiscing about the good times they've had together. Nelson held out his hand to the two boys. Milhouse held out his hand and shook Nelson's hand.

Bart did the same with Nelson as the two looked at each other and smiled. For the first time ever, Bart and Milhouse had real respect for Nelson. Their classmates clapped in support of the gesture as the boys sat back down.

Charlotte, Martin, and Melody gave the three boys a thumbs up for their success. The rest of the morning went without a hitch, except for the prank Bart pulled on Seymour, which involved Seymour slipping on marbles and landing in the basement of the school.

Lisa's fight was still on everyone's mind. A few hours later, it was recess time and the children came running out of the school. Lisa was still feeling confident, since she hadn't seen Francine all day.

Her confidence came to an abrupt end when she stepped outside and saw Francine standing there. Lisa approached Francine and soon the two were together as kids crowded around them. No one had bothered to start playing on the playground as they were ready to see this fight.

"I have to admit, I was thinking you wouldn't show up. You surprised me, but that's not going to save you from the beating you're going to get." said Francine as she got ready to fight.

Lisa got herself ready to fight Francine as the two circled each other. Things got very intense on the playground as everyone backed away to give the girls room to fight.

"Lisa, stay focus and don't get overconfident when fighting her. She's really dangerous and can mess you up." said Bart as he kissed her.

Lisa understood as she looked at the bully. She attacked first by punching Francine in the chest. This didn't effect the bully as she shoved Lisa to the ground. Lisa quickly got up as she and Francine circled each other again.

Francine threw a punch at Lisa, but Lisa was able to dodge it. This surprised Francine, since Lisa wasn't really good at avoiding things. Lisa tried to kick Francine, but Francine grabbed Lisa's leg.

Lisa gasped as Francine grinned and taunted her for making such a careless mistake. Francine pushed Lisa's leg aside and clotheslined Lisa. Lisa went down to the ground as Francine turned to see her downed target.

She knew Lisa was still okay as she slowly got up. The clothesline stunned Lisa, but she was able to shake off the attack. Francine started walking towards her target. Lisa got ready to strike back.

She tried to punch Francine, but Francine used her arm as a shield and was able to punch Lisa in the face. Lisa went down again and this time she didn't move.

Everyone gasped in shock as Francine approached her down target. She took her time to walk over to Lisa. Francine stood above Lisa ready to do some more damage to her.

Bart was ready to throw in the towel, since things were getting more dangerous than they already were. Suddenly, Lisa charged at Francine, slamming the bully into the ground.

Francine was stunned by the surprise attack. It happened so fast, most of the kids didn't even realize Francine was on the ground until Lisa got up.

As the two girls regrouped, the fight changed. Francine tried to punch Lisa again, but missed. Lisa punched Francine in her side, which was where Francine hurt herself while in Shelbyville.

Francine was in pain as she clutched her side with her hand. Lisa was closing in for another punch when out of nowhere Francine clobbered Lisa in the chest with her other arm. Everyone gasped as Lisa went down on her back again.

Milhouse, who was upset with Lisa from yesterday was showing concern for her safety. Francine grabbed Lisa and shoved her to the ground once again. Lisa had some cuts on her face and her dress was covered in dirt and grass.

Francine was clearly exhausted and didn't expect Lisa to fight back with so much strength. Lisa slowly got up as she looked at her rival. Lisa and Francine attacked each other again.

Francine punched Lisa in the chest. Lisa held her ground as she prevented herself from falling over. She then kicked the bully in the side, causing Francine to groan in pain as she fell on one knee.

Everyone gasped that Lisa was able to take Francine down to one knee like that. Lisa paused as she could see Francine was hurt as she showed concern for the bully's well being.

"Do you want to end this? We don't have to do this. We have nothing to prove fighting over something that isn't a big deal around here. You're not in the condition to keep fighting and neither am I. Let me help you." said Lisa.

It was the first time Lisa has ever shown a bully sympathy. Francine looked at her and thought about it. She shook her head as she managed to get up. Lisa sighed as she had no choice, but to continue.

Francine was able to kick Lisa down to the ground and was about to punch Lisa on the ground. Lisa rolled out of the way as Francine missed. Francine tried to punch Lisa again, Lisa stepped aside.

This caused Francine to miss her by inches, Lisa then punched the bully's stomach. Francine backed off a bit as Lisa decided to end this fight for Francine's sakes.

Francine was still feeling the effects of Lisa's punch to her stomach and before she could strike back, Lisa punched Francine in the face. She was hoping the force of the punch would be powerful enough to take her down.

However, the bully didn't go down as she remained upright, but was wobbling. It was incredible to everyone how strong Francine was as she was standing, despite being punched in the face.

She still had fight left in her as she tried to attack Lisa, who was ready to take her down. Lisa was having second thoughts about doing this, but got ready to counter. Francine missed Lisa once again as Lisa faced her.

"I'm really sorry for what I'm about to do." said Lisa as she felt guilty over what she had to do.

Lisa gave Francine another punch to the face. The second punch was even more effective, but Francine refused to go down, much to the shock of everyone.

Francine tried one last effort to hit Lisa, but she missed her as Lisa delivered a third punch to Francine's face. Francine looked at Lisa and smiled.

"You... did it Lisa. You did it." Francine said as she struggled to speak.

Francine toppled to the ground onto her back. Everyone couldn't believe what they had seen. It finally hit every kid that Lisa had beaten Francine in a fight.

Many cheered Lisa over her victory, however Lisa wasn't happy that she had to hurt someone to be respected. It made her feel sick to her stomach as she looked down on the injured bullied.

It was everything against her own beliefs to fight someone, yet she did it anyway. Damion, Henry, and Keith were checking Francine to make sure she was okay.

Lisa joined in to help the injured bully. Ten minutes later, Francine was brought into the clinic to receive treatment for her injuries. Lisa was with Francine as she watched the bully receive bandages and a cast for her body.

Lisa had also gotten bandages for her injuries too. Bart and Keith were also at the clinic, checking to see if Lisa and Francine were okay. It took a half hour before Francine finally woke up from being out.

Lisa stayed with her the entire time. Francine looked at her and sighed as she was sad. Bart, Keith, and Sara were wondering what Francine and Lisa would say to each other.

"What's wrong Francine? All this time, why was it me that you came after? The same goes for the other nerds at school? What did we do to you to deserve that treatment?" asked Lisa.

Francine didn't know how to answer her question. She was trying to think of the right words to say in this predicament.

"I guess I did it for no reason. I don't know why I did it." lied Francine as she lowered her head in shame.

She didn't want to tell Lisa, Bart, Sara, or Keith the real reason she's been attacking all nerds at the school. Lisa placed her hand on Francine's shoulder. She was willing to forgive the bully for all the bad things.

Francine looked at Lisa and could see she was smiling at her. She was wondering how Lisa could forgive her for all the bad things she's done to her.

Francine's mother came into the clinic after being notified by the school. She was very concerned for Francine's safety. Mrs. Rhenquist picked Francine up and hugged her.

She was happy that her daughter was okay, but was also disappointed with Francine for getting into another fight. She set Francine down and looked at her.

"Francine, what did I tell you about getting into school fights? You're still hurt from Shelbyville and the last thing we need is for you to get seriously injured.

Me and your father were really worried about you. Everyone at town hall was a complete wreck for days and many of us still are." said Mrs. Rhenquist.

Francine sighed as her mother was right about her behavior being out of control. Her mother already knew her daughter got in trouble again from the start.

"I'm sorry mom. I didn't mean to go this far. I guess I keep letting things get to me again." said Francine as she felt bad for everything she's done.

"Francine this won't cut it. I've been called to the school a number of times for you beating up other kids. I've let this slide in the past before, but this has been going on for too long.

Me and your father are not raising bullies under our roof and now it's come to this. If either of us get called to the school again, you'll leave me no choice, but to ground you for a month." said Mrs. Rhenquist.

Her daughter was becoming out of control and she needed to do something. Mrs. Rhenquist and her husband cared a lot about Francine. They didn't want her to grow up to become a bully or something even worse in her life.

Francine didn't want to be grounded by her parents. Her father even warned her the next time she got in trouble at school, she would be grounded with no questions asked.

Her mother was going to not reveal this to her father and they were going to ignore it. She gave her mother a nod. Mrs. Rhenquist turned her attention to Lisa. She sat with Lisa as Francine held onto her mother.

"Lisa, what did she do to you this time?" asked Mrs. Rhenquist as she sighed and stroked her daughter's hair.

Lisa then took ten minutes to explain to Francine's mother what Francine has been doing ever since she conducted that experiment on her. Mrs. Rhenquist understood everything that took place.

"Lisa I'd like to apologize for my daughter's behavior, which is inexcusable to you and everyone else. This will be the last time it happens again. While it's no excuse for her negative behavior there is some history.

Something happened in Francine's life that made her this way. Needless to say, it's left a lasting impression on her ever since. It's the reason we moved to Springfield." said Francine's mother.

Francine knew what her mother was talking about and she hugged her tightly. Francine's mother held her daughter, who began to cry. Lisa had never seen Francine act this way.

"Don't cry honey, be strong through this Francine." said Mrs. Rhenquist as she reassured her daughter.

"Lisa, there is a very good reason why we moved to Springfield in the first place. Francine wasn't really happy on her first day of school as you recalled.

We moved away from Chicago to get away from someone that harassed Francine at school. The thing is this kid that harassed her was also one of the smartest kids at school. After a while of this happening, Francine took matters into her own hands.

It became clear the school wasn't going to do anything about the bullying situation. One thing led to another and she killed the bully by breaking his neck." said Mrs. Rhenquist.

Bart, Keith, Sara, and Lisa gasped. Everything said made sense as to why Francine targeted nerds at Springfield Elementary. Francine turned around and faced the four as she wiped tears from her eyes.

"I don't even want to mention his name. It's like the devil's name to me. I hope he's burning in a pit of hell where he belongs along with the rest of the trash this world has produced." said Francine as her mother hugged her again to calm her down.

Lisa realized why Francine never properly answered her question on Wednesday. She didn't want to reveal the real reason why she's been attacking nerds, since her first day at school.

It also answered Sara's question as to why Francine goes overboard when she attacks nerds without giving an explanation. It closed the door on a lot of questions everyone wanted to know.

"This is why bullies didn't really exist at our school in Bronx. Sure, anyone that was weak was made a target, but we still defended weaker kids from others anyway, because it was the right thing to do. I guess we had a limit." said Henry.

"Now you guys know the truth. I never wanted to be like this, but everything I've done here was months of frustration dealing with that guy. I went crazy with it and Lisa, I'm sorry." said Francine.

"Francine, I personally can't blame you for doing what you had to do in Chicago. It goes to show you that living in this world is tough. Life can be very unforgiving as we found out.

I've been put in the same situation numerous times, while living in South Bronx. The same goes for my brothers and sisters. I did what I had to do to save myself, my family, and my friends.

It's nothing I'm proud of either, but it had to be done. You did what you had to do to survive and you have to respect yourself for that. You can't erase what happened in the past, because it will always be there.

Trying to act like it never existed is like restarting a problematic car and assuming it's fixed. It's best for you to move on with your life and not let what happened bother you." said Keith.

"He's right Francine and I've had a lot of things bother me. I did pranks on Skinner, just to hide it, but recently I've been speaking about them. I never thought I would ever reveal my life to anyone outside of my house." said Bart.

Francine smiled as she felt more comfortable now over everything. She approached Lisa and held out her hand. Lisa shook hands with Francine, which was a sign that the two would no longer have problems with each other.

Lisa also accepted Francine's apology. Mrs. Rhenquist smiled and was glad to see her daughter making peace with the kid she's been bullying for a while. Sara was glad to see this rivalry between the two girls end.

"You think those two will become friends with each other, now that they're no longer enemies? I hope they do, because Francine was able to take three punches to the face, before she went down." asked Bart.

"That's up to Francine and Lisa if they want to go in that direction. To be honest with you, I'm glad to see that Lisa proved she could stand up for herself and fight back. Her chances of being bullied in this school have now plummeted." said Keith.

Bart, Francine, Keith, Lisa, and Sara left the clinic and went back to their class. While no one knew what Francine or Lisa would do if their paths crossed, it was clear that the two were finally on good terms with each other.


	6. The 5th Graders vs The 4th Graders

With the fight between Francine and Lisa taking place as planned, most of the children were satisfied with what happened. However, there were rumors of another fight taking place after school.

These rumors were no longer rumors as it was confirmed that a second fight was going to happen at school. The fifth graders had confirmed with younger kids that another fight will take place after school.

This had created a lot of buzz around the school. Seeing two fights in one day was rare at Springfield Elementary, so this did create more excitement for some kids. However, many other kids were concerned, because everyone had not fully recovered from the events that took place in Shelbyville.

The fight was a rematch between the fourth graders and the fifth graders. The kids from both grades wanted to finish where they left off last time. It was after school and the boys from both grades met up in the same playground.

Younger kids came out to watch the fight as things got set in place. Bart led the fourth graders, while Phil led the fifth graders. The boys from both grades had grins on their faces as they stared at each other.

Damion, Henry, and Keith were there to be referees in the fight and to keep everyone in check. They were also ready to take action in healing anyone that got hurt.

"Okay, since you guys really want to do this and I hope you aren't disappointed. All I have to say is be careful and keep your heads on you shoulders. You guys aren't a hundred percent. You know the rules from last time. We all want to see a fair fight, so let the rumble take place." replied Keith.

Before the boys started the fight they shook their rival's hands. Bart and Phil were going to start things off as the circled each other. Then they grappled and it was on as the other boys did the same with their rivals.

"Both of us wanted this fight and we're getting it now. No matter what happens today we're going to be friends. All I have to say is eat my shorts, Phil." said Bart as he grinned at his rival.

"You're damn right it is. Bart, I'm glad you like to talk trash, because things will be very different from the last time. You and the fourth graders are going down this time." said Phil as he taunted his best friend to bring it on.

Bart approached his rival and tried to throw a punch at him. Phil was able to stop Bart's attack. He then grabbed Bart and threw him to the ground. Bart was stunned as Phil kept that grin across his face. Bart knew he was going to have his hands full with this fifth grader as he got back up.

He tried to do a running punch to catch his rival off guard, but it didn't work out as plan. Phil had stopped Bart dead in his tracks and taunted Bart with his finger. Bart quickly tried to counterattack, but Phil punched him in the stomach.

Bart fell to his knees as he held his stomach and groaned in pain. He was shocked by how Phil stopped his attack like that. Phil was standing there with his arms crossed as he looked down at his rival.

Bart got up as Phil tried to throw another punch at him, which Bart was able to slap away. Bart had to do whatever it took to survive this fight with his best friend.

He felt embarrassed for lowering himself to what he called were childish counterattacks. Phil didn't even flinch from Bart's childish defenses as he shoved Bart to the ground once again.

Phil quickly held Bart down and forced him to eat dirt. He shoved handfuls of dirt into Bart's mouth and face. This was very humiliating to Bart.

The fourth graders were finding out that the fifth graders were tougher than they thought. Some fourth graders were being held down by the fifth graders as they struggled to get back up.

Some of the fifth grade boys put their fingers in their mouths and gave the fourth graders wet willies. The fourth graders that got the wet willies quivered over it. Nelson was facing a boy named Danny.

Danny wore a green shirt, long brown pants, and yellow sneakers. Danny has black hair. Danny was very athletic and quick as he easily dodged another punch from Nelson. Nelson himself was being overwhelmed by this boy.

He was expecting an easy win, but was finding out that wouldn't be easy. Danny was able to dodge all his attacks with ease, much to Nelson's dismay. To make things worse for the ex-bully, he was hit several times in the head. Nelson was upset that he was getting beat up at school, again.

The fifth graders weren't even trying to win as they were mocking the fourth graders. They didn't want to humiliate them to a point where everyone would point and laugh at them, but were taking their time to beat them.

"This isn't ballet guys. You fourth graders wanted to have this fight and now you got it. The fifth graders are the toughest kids in this school and they're proving it. Whatever aggression you guys have, use it, because they're going to kick your asses." said Henry.

"We have to admit, that humiliating song you guys sung about us was pretty good. It was a good joke. However, this fight we're having, we're not joking around. This is real life guys." said Danny as waited for Nelson to get back up.

The fifth graders nodded as they waited for the fourth graders to fight back. Phil taunted Bart by giving him the gesture to bring it on as Bart circled him. The gesture only made Bart angry as he was not going to be intimidated.

He was out here to fight, not to give up so easily against his rivals. He grappled with Phil once again. He tried to punch while grappling, but Phil saw what he was trying to do and stopped him.

Phil lifted Bart and slammed him onto the ground. Not wasting time, Phil put Bart in a headlock. Bart was trapped as Phil used his body to keep Bart on the ground. Phil had a firm grip around Bart's head as he looked down at him.

"Bart, you should know me by now. We did all sorts of crazy things together. We watched a lot of wrestling, so it shouldn't surprise you that I'm using this headlock that we saw countless times on T.V. You're not going anywhere that easily, boy." said Phil.

Bart struggled to get out of Phil's headlock. He used his legs to try and kick out, but despite rolling himself and Phil around on the ground, Phil didn't release the hold as he grinned.

Bart had to do something fast before Phil forced him to pass out as Bart tried reaching for the fifth grader's head. Phil easily steered clear away from Bart's hands as he looked at his friend.

"You're in a tough spot and I like you a lot as a friend, even going as far as to call you a brother to me. Here is what I'll do for you. I'm going to give you two easy choices to make.

Just stay down on your back and give up. If you don't give up, I'll put pressure on this headlock until you pass out. Make your decision, before I do it for you." said Phil as he gave Bart an ultimatum essentially.

Bart refused to stay down on his back and give up. Bart started using his elbow against Phil, while he was on the ground. The elbow shots took a while to take effect, but Phil released his hold on Bart.

Phil got up as Bart struggled to get up. He was feeling a bit dizzy from being in the headlock for long. Phil tried to clothesline Bart, but Bart fell to the ground as Phil passed him.

He suddenly tackled Phil to the ground. They both landed in the same dirt that Phil forced Bart to eat. The fifth grader was dazed from the attack as Bart held him down and looked at him.

"One thing about us fourth graders is that we don't give up. We're taking you fifth graders down, even if we have to go down with you. Prepare for a fight Phil, because I'm not having a cow over this." said Bart.

Bart got off of Phil as the fifth grader attempted to attack him, but missed a few times. The other fourth graders were able to turn things around as they were fighting back against the fifth graders.

Nelson was able to keep up with Danny, who was hit several times by Nelson. Danny didn't go down so easily as he jumped back up and continued to fight the former bully.

The fifth graders decided to get aggressive with the fourth graders. Soon the boys from both grades were trading punches with each other. Some boys even threw each other around as they slammed onto the ground.

The fight had really gotten heated and some even broke rules. A crowd of kids were watching hell breaking loose. Some even had to back away as some boys were taking the fight right into the crowd. It was kind of difficult for many to watch as friends were beating up friends.

The Parkinsons didn't like where this was going either, but they had to respect the decision of their friends. Soon, some of the boys from both grades had knocked each other out.

Nelson was able to knock Danny out with a single punch to the jaw. Nelson fell to his knees as he was hyperventilating. He was tired and was impressed that the kid he fought was able to outmaneuver him.

Damion, Henry, and Keith pulled Danny and the injured boys out of the fight and began to treat them for any injuries. Nelson slowly walked out of the rumble to get treated.

Bodies began to fall as other boys were punching each other out. A few resulted in double knockouts. Some boys that defeated their rivals immediately collapsed from exhaustion.

They too were taken out of the fight to rest and to be treated. The amount of boys involved in the fight quickly depleted as Bart and Phil were the only ones left standing.

Bart and Phil went all out against each other as they kicked and punched each other. The two boys were visibly tired from fighting. They had fought the hardest as the fight had gone on for forty minutes straight.

It was incredible that Bart and Phil were still standing after everything they've gone through. The two boys were ready to finish one another. They both ran towards each other to end this fight.

Everyone on the playground didn't know what was going to happen as they looked on. Both boys proceeded to punch each other. They both hit each other in the face as everyone gasped over what they saw.

The two boys managed to keep standing as they backed away a bit from each other. They then looked at one another. They were both hyperventilating from the fight. They grinned as they continued looking at each other.

"You're a very tough kid Bart. I was surprised that you were able to last more than ten minutes against me." said Phil.

"Same with you Philip, same with you. You had my ass beat many times and I didn't know what to do." replied Bart.

Suddenly, both boys fell on their backs. Everyone didn't expect that to happen as the fight was clearly over. Both boys were still feeling the effects from their attacks.

Damion, Henry, and Keith quickly checked the two boys. Charlotte and Lisa were there as they ran over to check on Bart and Phil. It would take a few minutes for Bart and Phil to wake up.

Everyone was happy to see the boys were okay. Charlotte hugged Bart, while Lisa hugged Phil. Bart had told Lisa how Phil was a week ago. Despite hearing Phil was much more wilder than Bart, she quickly accepted the fifth grader as a friend.

Bart and Phil had both a bandage on their faces and on their stomachs. No one knew what was going to happen, since the fight ended with a draw. They were expecting another rematch to be planned.

"Didn't expect the fight to end like this. The fourth graders proved they're tough enough to handle any situation put in front of them. Us fifth graders have to respect them for that effort." said Phil as he looked at Bart and smiled.

"Yep, we survived this fight. We're all tough, so there is no need to fight each other anymore. You know instead of wasting our strength on a rematch to settle this dispute, we could do something else.

Since Seymour and his big daddy, Gary are too incompetent to protect us, we should do protect ourselves. This school is going to close in like two months, might as well go out with a bang." said Bart.

Everyone bursted into laughter over the comment Bart made about Gary and Seymour. Both the fourth graders and fifth graders agreed with the idea. All of them looked at one another and shook hands with each other as they smiled.

The children then went home after everything was taken care of. Bart, Charlotte, Damion, Donny, Henry, Keith, Lisa, Milhouse, and Phil were together as they talked.

"I hope you boys don't decide to have another fight like that. I was starting to think you two were letting your rage get the best of you." said Charlotte.

"I'm just glad you two didn't hurt yourselves too badly. I'm worried as to what will happen to us when the school does close in two months?" said Lisa.

Everyone, except Damion, Henry, and Keith were wondering the same thing. They didn't know how their lives would be once the school closed. They've been ignoring the school's looming closure for a bit.

"Don't worry Charlotte, no matter what happened today, everyone on both sides are cool. I didn't expect myself to actually do all of that. Talk about not knowing your strength." said Bart.

"We're cooking up something when Springfield Elementary closes. You guys are going to be seeing each other a lot more than you do now. Shelbyville was just us getting to know each other, I'll tell you guys that much." said Keith.

"When that day comes, we're going to make a deal with you guys and everyone in our school. Question is will you guys and everyone accept the deal? We won't make any mention of it until the school closes." replied Henry.

What was said had the group wondering what the Parkinsons were planning. Seeing as how the school was going to end in a couple of months, it was random when they told some of their friends they had a plan.

By now, they knew whatever they were planning was going to be big and it would change the course of their lives forever. Everyone kept the thought in mind as they continued walking home.

**THE END**


End file.
